48-Hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program

We are the only entity offering a comprehensive, 48-hour Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program. The Program is broken into 6 levels and is built on a foundation of BIPOC cultures and neurobiology. It is taught from a multicultural perspective, injecting traditions and ideology from various cultures from around the world. In this inclusive study we rely on the ancient tradition of storytelling, visual art and interconnected relationships to intentionally explore difficult topics. The indigenous teaching methods are woven with current academia and research, along with coveted knowledge from Medicine Women\Men, traditional historians and cultural leaders from various African, Native American, Aboriginal and Asian communities to solidify the following topics:

The program will also investigate the impact of Collective Trauma on:

The Historical Trauma Certification Program takes participants on a journey from wellness to dis-ease and finally provides insight on how to facilitate healing for tribes, communities, families and individual survivors of Historical Trauma.

The Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Program is designed to embrace people from various sectors. It’s ideal for educators, administrators, behavioral health workers, mental health professionals, physicians, law enforcement, and judges. We have trained adoptive parents and people in multicultural families as well as humans serving, leading, advocating for and working with people of color. We welcome students and anyone interested in understanding race, culture and trauma.

Each level is an immersive 7-hour training that concludes on Day 2 with an additional 2-hour Talking Circle implemented to process the training with time for Q & A. Additionally, each level of the training provides an opportunity for small break-out sessions to build relationships, consciously process course material and share life experiences, thoughts and ideas around the course topics. The purpose of our program is to incite change. Trauma is healed through relationships and in life’s day to day moments. Historical Trauma is often a painful topic that requires special consideration and opportunities to build rapport with colleagues. Cultural shift demands self-reflection and the ability to see the world through multiple lenses.

LEVEL 1 July 19, 2023 9-4

https://us02web.zoom.us/webina...TFQ3QRSmGOC6ruNaw5ng

LEVEL 2 August 16, 2023

https://us02web.zoom.us/webina...UpmLTWTsOHjj6wqO2jIQ

LEVEL 3 September 20, 2023

https://us02web.zoom.us/webina...xE9rF4T0yz-KCrIdx-Wg

LEVEL 4 October 18, 2023

https://us02web.zoom.us/webina...sfHaGfSZuJsFYEeF50RA

LEVEL 5 November 15, 2023

https://us02web.zoom.us/webina...WUGwvrQVaOA-owglMGpg

LEVEL 6 December 6, 2023

https://us02web.zoom.us/webina...O4rZOwT5mk_leZxT8oUQ

PROGRAM FOUNDER:

Iya Affo is the founder of Heal Historical Trauma. As a descendant of spiritual and physical healers, Iya’s life has centered around spirituality, indigenous healing and wellness.

Iya studied Psychology and Physical Therapy and the University of Maryland. During her time as an undergraduate student, she taught math at Eastern Correctional Institute and unexpectedly made her initial foray into impacting inmates with Adverse Childhood Experiences, through the facilitation of a book club centered around Louise Hays’ book, “You can Heal Your Life.”

Iya went on to pursue a Chiropractic education at Life Chiropractic College in San Lorenzo, CA and focused on neurology. Eventually, her education came full circle and Iya earned certification as a Trauma Specialist from the Arizona Trauma Institute. She is a Certified Adverse Childhood Experiences Trainer and a Certified Trauma & Resilience Life Coach. Iya is Certified to facilitate Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model for Caregivers, she is a Certified Trust-Based Relational Intervention practitioner and completed Certification for the Native American based Fatherhood is Sacred/Motherhood is Sacred program. Mrs. Affo is an adjunct professor at the Arizona Trauma Institute and the founder of the only 48-hour, 6-level Historical Trauma Specialist Certification program worldwide. Additionally, Iya wrote the curriculum for Arizona’s Resilience and Empowerment Program being taught in Maricopa County schools and Indigenous communities across Arizona. She founded the Phoenix Rising to Resilience virtual community on the PACEs Connection platform and was recently appointed to the Gilbert Community Engagement Task Force to advocate for people who have been disempowered.

With an eye on indigenous healing practices, Iya has visited more than 30 countries around the world and has spent extended time living and studying in Native American, Yoruba, Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist communities in various countries. While on pilgrimage in West Africa, she studied with Medicine Men and Women to learn the ways of the Shaman and understand the truth about the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. In China, she lived in the Shaolin Temple, the cradle of Zen Buddhism, and immersed herself in Chinese culture. While in China, she also lived among the Taoist in Kunyu Shan. After a spiritual calling to India, Iya sojourned in an ashram (Hindu spiritual community) and lived a minimal lifestyle while imbuing Hindu customs and ideology. Serving Navajo Nation, Salt River Indian Community, Gila River Indian Community, Ho Chunk Indian Community, Chemehuevi Indian Community, and Cocopah Indian Community, Iya found a home among the egalitarian, indigenous people of North America.  In 2018, elders invited her to Toronto, Canada to participate in forming the first Canadian/American collaboration to heal ACEs and Historical Trauma. She debuted her presentation, "The Symphony of Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine to Heal ACEs and Historical Trauma" at the 2018 National ACEs Conference in San Francisco, California. Iya is an international speaker on historical trauma, healing and wellness. In November 2022, Iya traveled to Kenya to give a keynote address and workshop at Urgent Africa Fund’s African women’s rights conference attended by six hundred women from fifty-five different nations. Most recently, Iya was featured in a documentary focused on historical trauma, by the producers of the critically acclaimed, “The Wisdom of Trauma”.

Iya strives to cultivate love and inclusivity. She hopes to facilitate reculturing and the subsequent healing of indigenous people all over the world. Iya advocates for the harmonization of Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine to facilitate holistic healing from ACEs and trauma.